Designation:E2943−15StandardGuideforTwo-SampleAcceptanceandPreferenceTestingwithConsumers1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationE2943;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(´)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.INTRODUCTIONThisguideisintendedtobeusedbysensoryconsumerandmarketingresearchprofessionals(referredtoasthe“researcher”or“researchprofessional”)asanaidtounderstandingissuesassociatedwithandtoconductingtwo-sampleacceptanceandpreferencetestswithconsumers.Thisguideincludesageneralsummaryofconsiderationsandpracticesforconductinghedonictestsfollowedbyspecificconsiderationsandpracticesforbothacceptanceandpreferencetesting,includingprosandconsofeachmethod.Finalsectionsconsidertheincorporationofbothacceptanceandpreferencetestingintotheresearchplananddiscusspotentiallackoflinkageinoutput/resultsbetweenthem.Aflowchartoutliningsummaryofthesemethodsandreferencesforfurtherreadingarealsoincluded.1.Scope1.1Thisguidecoversacceptanceandpreferencemeasureswheneachisusedinanunbranded,two-sample,producttest.Eachmeasure,acceptance,andpreference,maybeusedaloneortogetherinasingletestorseparatedbytime.Thisguidecovershowtoestablishaproduct’shedonicorchoicestatusbasedonsensoryattributesalone,ratherthanbrand,positioning,imagery,packaging,pricing,emotional-culturalresponses,orothernonsensoryaspectsoftheproduct.Themostcommonlyusedmeasuresofacceptanceandpreferencewillbecovered,thatis,productlikingoverallasmeasuredbythenine-pointhedonicscaleandpreferencemeasuredbychoice,eithertwo-alternativeforcedchoiceortwo-alternativewitha“nopreference”option.1.2Threeofthebiggestchallengesinmeasuringaproduct’shedonic(overalllikingoracceptability)orchoicestatus(preferenceselection)aredetermininghowmanyrespondentsandwhotoincludeintherespondentsample,settingupthequestioningsequence,andinterpretingthedatatomakeprod-u...
